Always Late? Find Out Why

3. “I need to know I’m loved” continued...

“Not often. Once in a while going to school. My dad drove me, but if I was
late — even by a minute — he’d just leave, and I’d have to find a way to get
there on my own.”

“He was unfair,” I said. “And he wasn’t loving, at those times.”

One way we may gauge the affection of others is to test whether they will
sacrifice their time. If you keep your husband waiting for updates on your
schedule, figure out why: Do you feel he should be more involved in planning
dinners or resent that he complained about the last two weekend outings that
you had arranged? Turn your insight into a confession of sorts: “I was thinking
about why I’ve been keeping you in the dark until the last minute. And I may
have figured it out. We used to alternate planning things for the kids. But
lately, it’s been all me. I know that’s just the way it evolved, but I liked it
when you were scoping out fun things for us, and I miss it. Can we go back to a
team approach?”

If you have a friend who is always late, you can become a true healer with
just one comment like this: “Just so you know, I’ll always wait for you. You’re
much more important to me than getting to a movie in time for previews. But it
would be great if we did leave early enough, because cutting it too close makes
me stressed out about parking and all that.”

Clocking Lateness

Use the profiles delineated above to nail why you have trouble being on
time. Then you can start fighting back with these practical strategies. And
don’t start “later” — start now.

Keep a date bookand be sure to carry it with
you: Writing down appointments makes them real; having that record
always handy will keep you honest. If you aren’t scheduling yourself on paper
or electronically, you’re more likely to give yourself leeway — at the expense
of others.

Factor lateness into your day: Create “lateness buffers”
by planning to leave an event 10 or 15 minutes earlier than your first pass at
scheduling would indicate. Or start getting ready a bit sooner than you think
you need to, reminding yourself you aren’t the best judge of how much time you
need.

Have more confidence in your future: When you steal time
to send one last e-mail, you’re really saying you’re not sure there’s enough
time for, well, your life. Try walking out on the day’s loose ends, and you’ll
find they slowly lose their control over you.

Put yourself in their shoes: Imagine yourself as one of
the people waiting for you, and his or her anxiety that time doesn’t really
matter to you. Doing this exercise might motivate you to be more punctual.

Balance your imbalances: If you’re the chronically late
one in your family and your husband is compulsively punctual, recruit him as a
time coach.

Be sure you wear a watch: When you see that the time of
your appointment has arrived, but you haven’t, you may feel just enough “good
stress” to make more of an effort to be on time.

Take time — for yourself: For those who have trouble
creating realistic schedules and sticking to them, meditation can be beneficial
because it forces you to sit quietly with yourself and focus. Yoga or an
exercise routine can do the same.